Improvement in car-couplings



2 Sheets-Sheet l.

W. G. SMOOT.

CAR-COUPLING. No.1'76,1Z6. Patented April 11, .1876.

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W. G. SMOQT. CAR-COUPLING.

Patented April 11, 1876.

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Inventor: g %f NJPETERS, PHOTO-UTHOGRAFHER. WASHINGTON, D c

.companying drawings, and 'to the letters of PATEN orrrcn WILLIAM G. SMOOT, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent bio-176, 126, dated April 11, 1876 application tiled February 16, 1876.

:andDistrictof Columbia, have invented-certain .new and useful Improvements in Car- Ooup1ings;1and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description .thereof, which will enable others skilled in;

theiart to which it appertains to make and; use the same, reference being bad to. the acreference marked thereon, which form a partof this. specification, and in which- "Figure -1 is a bottom plan of ,a car having my improved coupling. Fig. 2 is a similar view, the covering-plate L having been removed. Fig. 3 is .a vertical-sectionthrough 1 the plane indicated by the line at .10 in Fig, 1.

Fig. 4. is ,a similar view,showing :a modifica- .tion-intheconstruction of the operating parts;

.and Fig. 5 is-a bottom plan of the lock-plate and locking-arm detached.

.Sim'ilar letters-of reference indicate corresponding parts, in all the figures.

This invention, which relates to the so called automatic car couplings, consists in certain improvements upon-the car-coupling described andshowninthe Letters Patent, No. 172,667,

granted .to me on the 25th dayof January,

1876; the-said improvementslhaving fortheir object to simplify the construction and produce a coupling that combines absolute safety and certainty of operation with a sufficient degree of elasticity to prevent any sudden shock or I jerk when the cars are eitherstarted or stopped, or when a curve is turned.

head, A, and a stem or tongue, A.

to admit of the passagethrough of the stem A.

recess in which A slides, and having a perforation for the passage of the buffer-stem, which is prevented from slipping out of the k is a plate, secured vertically across the.

T perforation (by thepressure of the spring 13) by a pin,-b. The lever-.arm-O moves in a recess having shoulders c c, that control the motions, forward or back, of said lever, so that the springBcanonly operate it to that extent,

and no farther. Spring B may be constructed in any suitable manner, either of steel, rubber,

or these materials combined. I preferto use a coiled com bin ation steeland rubber spring, as most durable and best adapted. to the purpose; but :an ordinary coiled steel spring, without the rubber, willanswer the purpose very well.

- vD is the draw-bar or coupling-stem,which has a hook, I), that, in coupling the cars, engages with 'asimilar hook'on the next car. The draw-bar D has an upward-projecting lip or shoulder, that catchesunder the lever-arm G in such a manner that when the bar D is impelled forward, in starting and pulling the cars, .the lever'O will press against spring B, thee-latter, thereby giving elasticity to the {draw-bar at'starting, or while the train is in motion. In slacking up, spring B will gradvually, as the strain upon it becomes.less,,ex-

pand, thereby obviating any sudden shockor jerk in stopping, previous to the buffers A of opposite car's coming in contact with each other. e

It will also be observed that spring B giveselasticity to,-or cushions, the buffer or bumper A; one. single coiled spring thusanswerin g thevtriple purposeof giving elasticity to 'theVdraw-barin starting and pulling, taking up the slackin slackingup before stopping, and cushioning the buffer when a full stop is made and the cars are :brought in contact with each other.

In the foregoing I have described the construction and operationof the buffer and drawbar. I shall now proceed to describe the mechanism for effecting the coupling and uncoupling of thecars.

E is a plate, which slides in a vertical recess or slot in the front part of the. platform of the car.

this being the position in which plate E and draw-bar D are when the cars are coupled. Plate E has two slots, 9 g, by means of which it slides upon the bolts h h; and i is a pin, to which an arm, F, is pivoted by means of a slot, 1, as shown. Arm F is pivoted at its opposite end to a lever, G, which has its fulcrum atm, and passes up to the platform above, where it is operated.

When my improved coupling is used on freight-cars, arm F may be operated by rods or chains passing to the roof of the car, in a manner that will be readily understood.

It may sometimes be found convenient to dispense with the arm F, and operate plate E by a direct attachmentof lever G, orits equivalent, to one end of said plate. This modified construction I have shown in Fig. 4.

Plate E has an offset, a, which, when the cars are coupled, abuts against a pawl, H, that is pivoted at 0 and operated by a spring, 12. Pawl H has a downward-projecting arm, 9, that reaches down to, and slides upon the upper edge of arm F, Fig. 3. Arm F has a beveled shoulder, (denoted by r,) which, when it, in uncoupling, is pushed back in the direction opposite to the arrow, will raise arm 9, and, with it, pawl H, thereby lifting the point of said pawl up above the offset or shoulder a, so as to allow plate E to pass. When in the coupled position, pawl H abuts against the shoulder a, thereby preventing the withdrawal of plate E and keeping the coupling firmly locked.

When, as in Fig. 4, arm F is dispensed with, the pawl H is raised by a wedge-shaped oli'set, h, projecting from the side of plate E, the offset h taking the place of the bevel r on arm F.

The operation of coupling or uncoupling is effected as follows: The buffer-stem A has a slot at its under side, (denoted by 8,) and the lock-plate E has a similar slot, (denoted by s.) The buffer is retained in place by the upper edge of plate E catching into the slot 8 in the stem A 5 but when plate E is slid sidewise by operating lever Gr, when it is desired to unlock the coupling, the slot 8 will come directly under slot .9, thus making room for the stem A to pass, which will be forced outward by spring B.

When the buffer is pushed back by coming in contact with the buffer of the next car, the slot 8 willbe again brought over the top edge of plate E, thus allowing it (impelled by spring a) to slip back to its locked position, and, as it carries with it the draw-bar D, the coupling is thereby effected.

It is obvious that the slot or recess 8 in the under side of thebufier-stem A must beof suflicient depth to allow the top edge of plate sidewise, the slot 8 has been reached, which admits of its passage, and also to allow plate Eto slip back again into its locked position when the buffer A is pushed back.

The end of the draw-bar opposite to the coupling-hook is pivoted to a short link or bar, I, by means of a slot, t, and pin or bolt 15, sliding in said slot, so as to allow of longitudinal motion of the draw-bar D. The link I is pivoted securely in a cross-beam, K, bolt ed to the bottom of a car.

It will be observed that by this construction there will be no sudden pull upon the link I and cross-beam K, as the tension of the spring B has to be exhausted first before the end of the oblong slot t in draw-bar D will bear against bolt t.

My improved car-coupling hereinbefore described is equally applicable to passenger and freight cars, and may be put onto any car with the greatest ease without necessitating expensive alterations of the platform.

The entire mechanism for operating the coupling may be inclosed in a cast-iron box, for excluding the dust, which box may then be bolted securely onto the under side of the platform; or the parts may be aliixed separately in their position under the platform, in suitable recesses and bearings provided for the purpose, after which the whole is covered by a plate, L, as shown in the drawing.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- 1. The combination of the bufferAA, spring B, leverarm G, and draw-bar D, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

2. The sliding lock-plate E, having perforations (1 g g, projecting arm or bracketf, offset a, and slot or recess 5, constructed and arranged to operate substantially in the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

3. The combination of the lock plate E, spring 0, pawl H, and spring 1), all constructetl and arranged to operate substantially in the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

4.. The combination of the buffer A A, hav ing slot or recess .9, spring B, lever-arm O, and lock-plate E, all constructed and operating substantially in the manner and for the pun pose hereinbefore set forth.

5. The combination of the lever Gr, arm F, having beveled shoulder r, and spring-pawl H, having arm 9, all constructed and arranged for operation substantiallyin the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM G. SMOOT.

Witnesses: I

LOUIS BAGGER, WM. BAGGER. 

